Neurotech Insights

December 31, 2006

Inside This Issue: Neurosurgery
Top News Alerts: Product Updates, Deals & Financings
Featured Topic: Neurosurgery and Radiosurgical Devices
Featured Company: Micrus Endovascular (MEND)

Subscribe now to access over 30 articles in this issue on developments in neurotech, including drugs, devices and diagnostics.

Market Highlights: Vanda and Titan Score with Phase III Schizophrenia Trial
Investors in Vanda  Pharmaceuticals (VNDA) and Titan Pharmaceuticals (TTP) were rewarded after the companies announced positive results from a Phase III trial of iloperidone in schizophrenia.  Vanda, which went public in April, licensed the drug from Novartis and expects to file an NDA in 2007. Epix Pharmaceuticals (EPIX) featured in the August issue of Neurotech Insights, was up almost 50% on news of a partnering agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Targacept (TRGT), featured last month in Neurotech Insights, was up 21% after AstraZeneca gave a thumbs up to continuation of their collaboration in Alzheimer’s disease, giving the company a $20 million cash infusion...

Neurosurgical Pathologies and Advances In Treatment
Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are a rare disorder that suddenly became front page news when South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson was taken into the hospital on December 14. AVM's are congenital lesions where tangled, dilated blood vessels exist that connect arteries directly to veins without intervening capillaries.  Aneurysms and Brain Tumors are the other pathologies usually indicating neurosurgery....

Micrus: Staking Its Claim to the Neurovascular Market
Micrus Endovascular (MEND) was founded in June of 1996 as a spinoff of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). MUSC neuroradiologist Joe Horton and radiology professor Diana Vincent conceived of the company and decided to base it in San Jose California, due to a lack of venture capital in the Low Country. Mike R. Henson, the Chairman of the Board and an early investor, was responsible for recruiting CEO John Kilcoyne in 2004. Kilcoyne was drawn to the company by what he describes as a “tremendous opportunity in neuro, a wonderful team, and the gratification of working to save people's lives every day...”

Companies covered in this issue include: Accuray, Aldagen, Alexza, Allon, Amarin, AstraZeneca, Athenagen, BrainLab, Elekta, Eli Lilly, Epicept, Epix, Durect, GlaxoSmithKline, Integra, Janssen, Kalypsys, Memory Pharmaceuticals, Micrus, Molecular Insights Pharmaceuticals, Multicell, NBI Development, NeoPharm, NeuroDx, Neurogen, Neuroptix, Orexigen, Pherin, Procure Treatment, Schwarz Pharma, Shire, Somaxon, Synthetic Blood International, Titan,  Targacept, Tomotherapy, Trophos, Vanda, Vascon, and Varian.